Duverre
Duverre, officially the Territory of Duverre, is an island in the Starboard Sea and an unincorporated external territory of the Federated Continent. The island and surrounding islets are part of the southern Starboard Islands of the Starboard Sea. The territory consists of its namesake Duverre Island, the largest and most populous island, Bluefields Island, Bromley Island and Long Island, as well as a number of smaller islands and islets. The territory's capital Plassey is on the island of Duverre. Originally established as a plantation colony by Celichean and Brantish colonists, the islands were captured by Brantish forces in the mid 18th century. In 1821 the Federated Continent bought them from the Branting Islands in the Treaty of Whitman. They are classified by the Order of Nations as a non-self-governing territory and are currently classed as an incorporated external territory of the Federated Continent. Duverre is organized under the 1975 Duverre Constitution. The population was 29,495 at the 2015 Census, mostly comprised of mestizo or mixed people, descended from the indigenous Criono tribes, white Brantish and Celichean colonists and black iKwesi colonists. Tourism and textiles are the largest economic sectors. The largest employer in the territory is the government. History Main article: History of Duverre Duverre was originally inhabited by the Teney peoples. Travalhese explorer João de Martins was the first Islorian to spot the island in 1502. After planting a Travalhese flag on the beach and describing the locals he left, naming the island São Jorge. It wasn't until 1623 that Annegasque colonists established the first permanent Islorian settlement on the island, now renamed San Jorge. Santa Lisa del Sacrificio was established near the site of present-day Plassey near the Paul River. The first church and manor house were built the following year in 1624. The settlement served as a base camp for the Annegasque Colonization Company who established a number of sugar and coffee plantations on the island using the natives as slave labor. Increased tensions between Annegasco and Wikus proved difficult for San Jorge because the much larger and more economically powerful colony of Neu-Wikus lay just north of the island. Wikusian King Anhelm II believed San Jorge was being used as a staging ground for an invasion of Neu-Wikus by Annegasco and invaded the island in 1652. This is believed to have started the first Nine Years War. Wikus captured the island in 1653 and renamed it Anhelm Island. In 1658 a slave revolt broke out led by Salvador Bugeya, a mestizo or mixed house slave and was successful at first. The revolting slaves captured Santa Lisa del Sacrificio, now renamed Anhelmburg. The manor house at Anhelmburg was sacked and Fort Zeinhardt was captured. The Wikusians, already deeply in debt from the Nine Years War, sent troops to Anhelm Island to recapture it. By the time the island was recaptured most of the plantations had burned down and the town was in ruins. Three years into the rebuilding process the island was hit by a massive hurricane and the town was destroyed again. Wikus declared the island a lost cause in 1685 and sold it at a great loss to the Celichy Starboards Company. The island was again renamed first to Île du Vert (Green Isle), then Île Duverre. The reason for this change is unknown. The capital's name was changed from Anhelmburg to Plasais, after head of the Celichy Starboards Company Jean-Louis Plasais de Ferbourg. In 1704 and again in 1729 major slave revolts rocked the island and disrupted its largely plantation-based economy. March 9, 1729 marked the "jour de tristesse" or "day of sadness" when Celichean authorities executed 103 slaves charged with orchestrating the revolt in Alyon Square. The "day of sadness" coincided with the beginning of Queen Regina's War, which in 1731 resulted in Duverre's annexation by the Kingdom of the Branting Isles. A number of slaves fought with Brantish soldiers against the Celicheans because they perceived the Brantish to be more open to abolition. The Kingdom of the Branting Isles banned the import of slaves from other places to the island in 1738, but didn't ban slavery outright until 1802. During the mid to late 18th century, the island became known as a personal possession of Lord Dunmore, a Brantish aristocrat and life peer who purchased a number of the plantations on the island and ruled with an iron fist re-legalizing a number of forms of torture and capital punishment ruled cruel by the Brantish in 1731. He was eventually forced by the Brantish Queen to relinquish the island in 1793. The island continued as a small, yet valuable element of the Branting Isles' colonial economy until 1802 when slavery was banned. A number of slaveholding plantation owners objected to the decree and lobbied for the reinstatement of slavery. The end in slavery coincided with the rise of "impressment" where local Duverreans accused of various crimes would be forced to work as maintenance workers, servants or laborers on forts, military installations and government buildings. The system was widely accused of corruption, with many accused criminals tried in private and unfair trials. Brantish wardens on Duverre often traded the convicted to private landowners and plantation owners in exchange for political and monetary favors. The island was then purchased by the Federated Continent in 1821 as outlined by the Treaty of Whitman. The Branting Isles, in debt from a war with Celichy, sold the island. Sanctan president Henry K. Heald purchased the island as an outpost for Sanctan troops during the First Sanctan Civil War. He established Fort Lawrence north of Plasais and encouraged development in other settlements on the island. Heald believed Quechi might join the cause of the separatists and wanted a military presence closer to South Sanctus. After the war ended in 1824 the Federated Continent formally outlawed the system of impressment that was seen by most as a continuation of slavery. A number of plantations were sold to Sanctan companies and the 19th century saw the expansion of Sanctan military presence on the island. Fort Lawrence was expanded to the south and new batteries were built around the shoreline of the island. The hurricane season of 1902 was especially disastrous with Hurricanes Frances and Louis doing damage to Plasais. Duverre's legal status pertaining to the Final Articles was cemented in 1913 when it was formally declared an unincorporated external territory. Its citizens were granted Sanctan citizenship, but not the right to vote for president. It was also declared that because Duverre was a possession of the Federated Continent and not an insular part of it, the Final Articles do not completely apply. Duverre was granted self-government in the form of a popularly elected governor and assembly in 1953 as part of the Crawson Act. The Sanctan Military's presence on the island expanded until the 1960s. Fort Lawrence had been redesignated AFB Lawrence in 1943 after Lawrence Field was built in 1929 and the Sanctan Military began testing experimental weapons on Killbell Island. 1958 saw the election of P.C. Parsons, the second popularly elected governor and first governor of native or mestizo descent. As part of the increasingly popular decolonization movement, Parsons advocated for a number of reforms, starting with the Sanctan Military's exodus from Duverre. Parsons believed the military's lingering presence on the island was a remnant of Duverre's colonial past. He also called for a referendum voting on statehood. After the government's forced relocation of a village on Killbell Island to make space for an experimental napalm testing site public outrage on Duverre and the mainland reached record highs. Johnson Tricolore, a fisherman who refused to leave his village became a symbol of resistance to the federal government. Tricolore later became an advocate for Duverrean civil rights and civil rights in the mainland FCNS. The site on Killbell Island was closed in 1963 and Fort Lawrence was closed the following year. 1964 saw a number of changes on the island. A change in the island's economy from primarily sugar cane, coffee and mango plantations to specialized rum distilleries and tourist resorts (many of which opened in the early 60s) saw increased quality of life and economic prosperity. In 1964 Plasais officially adopted its Creole name which was more widely used: Plassey as official. The northern part of Fort Lawrence became the University of Duverre and the southern part was turned into P.C. Parsons International Airport and a new residential and industrial district. A number of businesses have moved to the island in recent years. An oil refinery opened in Stevedore in 1984 and the headquarters of Casanegra Rum moved to the island in 1992. Geography Main article: Geography of Duverre Duverre and its surrounding islands are about 35 miles (60 km) southeast of Neu-Wikus in the northern hemisphere and western hemisphere. They are geographically closer to South Sanctus, but are politically part of North Sanctus. They are part of the southern Starboard Islands chain within the larger Starboard Archipelago. The territory consists of the largest island Duverre as well as a number of smaller surrounding islands including Bluefields Island and Bromley Island to the south and Alfonso Island, Killbell Island and Long Island to the east and northeast. The territory also adminsters a number of other small islands, shoals and rocks surrounding the principal islands. Most of these are submerged at low tide or only rise a few feet. Duverre is often referred to as "mainland" when compared to the smaller surrounding islands. The combined land area of the islands is approximately 25 square miles. Duverre is known for its shallow shorelines on the southside and extensive beaches. The rugged coastline creates a number of bays and natural harbors, the most widely used being at Scolfax. This made the island an asset despite its small land area. Duverre is a volcanic island. It's steep slopes lead up to Mt. Agraso (2,314 ft. or 705 m.) which is an extinct volcano formed at the boundary between the Starboard Plate and the Central Plate. The island is rugged and somewhat mountainous. Much of the shore is comprised of sea cliffs and large hills. The surrounding islands are coral in origin and therefore much flatter. The island is unique in that it has no federally or territorially preserved parkland. The only preserved parkland is maintained by municipalities. Climate Duverre has a tropical climate with a large amount of rainfall, little seasonal variation and generally hot temperatures year-round. Politics and government Duverre is an external, unincorporated and organized territory. This means that Duverreans are FCNS citizens, but cannot run for president or vote for president. They can vote in primary elections however. Duverrean citizenship is founded in the 1913 Harbor Act which declared that some of the Final Articles apply on the island, but territorial constitutions may override it in some instances. It also set up the dimensions of Duverrean citizenship. Duverreans may vote for president or run for president as long as they live in one of the states or an internal territory. The Freedom and Union Party and the Liberal Party are the main political parties on the island, but in recent years the Green Party has seen some success in local office. Duverre elects a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives. Duverre acts as an at-large congressional district. This delegate isn't able to vote on the floor, but has committee membership, can propose legislation and can vote in committee. The current delegate is Liberal Guillaume Sasogo, first elected in 2011. Duverre has no representation in the Senate. Duverre's territorial legislature is the Duverre Assembly, a unicameral body consisting of twelve members elected to four-year terms. Term limits of three terms were instituted in 2005. Each assemblyperson is elected from districts of equal populations. Each district has about 2,500 people. The legislature meets in the Duverre Capitol building in Plassey. In 1953 the Crawson Act established both the popularly elected assembly and a popularly elected governorship. Since 1953 a governor has been elected every four years with a term limit of two terms. Prior to 1953 the territory was run by military governors from 1821 to 1913 and civilian governors appointed by the president from 1913 to 1953. The governor resides at Hamden Manor, an house dating from 1795. Duverre has a District Court, Superior Court and territorial Supreme Court. The District court is responsible for federal law, the Superior Court for territorial law and the Supreme Court for appeals from the Superior Court. Superior and Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor. Duverre is organized under the 1975 Duverre Constitution. A constitutional convention was convened in November of 1974. The constitution was sent to the president and congress who approved it in January of 1975. The constitutional convention was convened in response to complaints about the 1953 constitution drafted out of the 1953 Crawson Act. Administrative Divisions Duverre is divided into three districts: the North district with its headquarters in Plassey, the Middle district with its headquarters in Roffley Ridge and the South and Islands district with its headquarters in Lorraine. These districts aren't subdivided except for the North district which treats Plassey as a separate municipal entity. Every other district has no official municipalities within it. The F.C.N.S. census treats each district as a county-equivalent. Prior to Sanctan possession the island was variously divided into quarters, parishes and smaller estates. The islands shifted hands frequently and these boundaries aren't well recorded. Referenda In 2001 the legislature called a referendum regarding independence. Of the three options: pursue independence, pursue status as an insular territory and status quo, the status quo won a plurality of the vote with 48%. Critics of the referendum argued that the three options split the vote of those who didn't want the status quo. Other critics argued "pursue statehood" should have been an option but many in the legislature argued Duverre's population would be too low for statehood and the proposal would get struck down in Congress. In 2003 a second referendum was called. This time in response to critics of the first referendum the vote was split into two sections. First Duverreans would vote for status quo or change and if change won, a second step would take effect in three months determining what kind of change. In 2003 status quo won by a margin of 52%. Governors of Duverre Governors under Annegasque rule Main article: List of pre-FCNS governors of Duverre Governors under Wikusian rule Main article: List of pre-FCNS governors of Duverre Governors under Brantish rule Main article: List of pre-FCNS governors of Duverre Military governors (1821-1913) * Cayman Johnson (1821-1830) * John Lansing (1830-1832) * Harper Brewlis (1832-1836) * Galo Mbwene (1836-1838) * Sly Chisholm (1838-1840) * Percy Frampton (1840-1849) * John de Lour (1849-1853) * Alva Breckinridge (1853) * John de Lour (1853-1856) * Joseph Hornigold (1856-1860) * Ely Ambrose (1860-1862) * Jon Haslam (1862-1863) * Ferdinand de Ybanez (1863-1866) * Ross Hall Butler (1866-1868) * Terence Haldebrand (1868-1869) * Juan de Lourdes (1869-1876) * K.L.K. Howards (1876-1879) * Charles Valley (1879-1882) * Lincoln Purchase (1882-1884) * William Charles Williams (1884-1889) * Ernest Gutierrez (1889) * Ralston Hatchett (1889-1893) * Al Tennyson Hodge (1893-1897) * Kenneth Ludenberg (1897-1899) * Anderson El Eha (1899-1902) * Warren Ezra Canfor (1902-1906) * Jermaine T. Tysons (1906-1909) * Lucius Bornhold (1909-1912) * Henry Camp (1912) * Marco Donizetti (1912) * Collin McRoss (1912-1913) Civilian governors (1913-1953) * Gerald Morse (1913-1918) * Thomas McThatch (1918-1924) * King Pawelowsky (1924-1928) * Benjamin Astor (1928-1929) * Rutger Cronyn (1929-1934) * Lance Tamson (1934-1938) * Quinton F. Stamford (1938-1946) * John Pruit (1946-1949) * Maria Ling (1949-1953) Popularly elected governors (1953-) * P.C. Parsons (1953-1965) * Princeton Lockhauer (1965-1969) * Hernan de Vaya (1969-1978) * Penny Classon (1978-1980) * John T. Arbor (1980-1984) * Terrence Roof (1984-1988) * Ruth McMahon (1988-1996) * Timothy Elcox (1996-2000) * James "Junior" Hendriks (2000-2004) * Raimundo Stevenson (2004-2012) * Carson James (2012-2016) * Ellis J. Clyborne (2016-incumbent) Law Enforcement Law Enforcement on Duverre is provided by two departments. In Plassey, the Plassey Police Department and everywhere else the Duverre Island Police Department (DIPD). Military The FCNS as of 1964 has no military installations on the island. The Duverre National Guard, however, maintains two facilities, a small garrison at P.C. Parsons International Airport and another small garrison in Scolfax. Economy A 2014 report from the FCNS Census indicated a total gross domestic product of $1.18 billion dollars, up about three percent from 2012. According to a report conducted in 2017 the unemployment rate was eight percent, relatively high in comparison to other parts of the country. The Census estimated that there were about 11,200 non-agricultural jobs in Duverre, mostly in the hospitality and hotel industry, with large percentages in food service, medical care, entertainment and rum distillery. It's estimated that more than half of all workers on the island are somehow involved with the hospitality or tourism industry, either directly or indirectly. Personal Income The per capita income for the territory was $40,006 as of the 2015 census. Males had a median income of $41,700 versus $40,500 for females. About 11% of the population is below the poverty line. More than 80% of adults have a high school diploma (called a secondary diploma on the island) and about 25% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Financial History The islands have a long history as a relatively lucrative site for cash crops and plantation farming generally earning large amounts of money for the islands' very small size. Generally only the elites and non-indigenous population has been able to take advantage of this economic prosperity. With the arrival of the FCNS on the islands many of the local plantations shifted to Sanctan ownership and a lot of money left the islands. The islands economy rebounded with the arrival of the oil industry, but when one of the two large refineries on the island closed the island hit an economic slump. Many blamed the leadership of the island, especially governor Raimundo Stevenson on putting too much economic emphasis on the oil and gas industry. Recently the Casanegra Rum Company moved to the island and while some have seen the move as the beginning of a Duverrean economic renaissance, many see it simply as a shrewd corporate move to avoid paying as many taxes. However, the economic benefit has been small but noticeable Tourism Tourism remains the islands largest source of revenue and primary focus of the economy. Despite Duverre's small size and relative infrastructural underdevelopment compared to other nearby islands Duverre remains a popular tourism destination, primarily among tourists from the FCNS and to a lesser degree Islor. Duverre is popular among Sanctan tourists because unlike other island destinations nearby Sanctan citizens don't need a passport to travel there. The islands are a secondary stop on a number of cruise lines, mostly docking at the port of Plassey. In the nineties the tourism industry took a hit because of the island's rising homicide rate. Many on the Sanctan mainland viewed the island as too dangerous, but this reputation has largely faded. Manufacturing Casanegra Rum and other rum distilleries make up the majority of manufacturing on the island, as well as upscale furniture manufacturer Robinson Besser. Most food and oil is imported leading to some of the most expensive average gas prices in the world. There is still a small agriculture industry on the island mostly selling to local grocery stores and farmers markets. Taxes and tariffs Duverre doesn't pay federal taxes and operates as a free port meaning Sanctan citizens don't clear customs upon entry. Duverreans pay a larger share of territorial tax than most, so don't actually pay fewer taxes than other Sanctans. Transportation and communication P.C. Parsons International Airport is the only commercial airport on the islands. Duverre is served by the Duverre Island Bus, a public bus system that runs lines throughout Duverre and Bluefields Island. Duverre is also served by the Duverre Ferry, a system that runs ferries between Duverre Island and the other outlying islands. Duverre's mail service is handled by the Federated Continent Postal Service, using the code "DV" for mail domestic mail delivery. Duverre's main telephone providers are Duverre Telephone and Cable and the Neu-Wikus based company NeuWiTel. Demographics See also: Demographics of Duverre In 2015 the population of Duverre was 29,495. The literacy rate as of 2015 was 98.1%. Historical population Ethnic groups The racial makeup of Duverre as of 2015 was: * Aboriginal or Native Sanctan: 50.1% (14,776) * Mestizo: 39.8% (11,739) * White: 5.1% (1,504) * Black: 4.0% (1,179) * Other: 1.0% (295) About half of Duverreans are of primarily aboriginal or native ancestry descending from the peoples populating Duverre upon Islorian contact. About forty percent of people identify as mestizo or partly aboriginal, Islorian and black. The remainder are made of up of whites, predominantly white Sanctans and a few descendants of Brantish and Celichean colonists. The black population is primarily descended from iKwesi colonists from the 19th century or more recent immigrants from countries such as Abo Kesso, Quechi and Alobimbo. Languages Brantish is Duverre's dominant language and has been since the early 18th century, even before the island's shift to Brantish control. Most plantation owners and slave owners on the island were Brantish, with a small minority of Celicheans in the landed elite and therefore most of the indigenous slave population adopted Brantish as a dominant language. A large portion of the population, about five percent, speaks Celichean fluently, specifically Starboard Islands Celichean, a variety of Celichean spoken in the Starboard Islands and surrounding regions. Celichean comes primarily from the Celichean colonists who populated the island in the 17th century and more recent immigrants from Celichiean speaking countries nearby. Originally the Teney peoples, who the majority of aboriginal Duverreans are descended from spoke the Teney language. South Teney was the most common variety spoken in Duverre. Nowadays a very small portion of the population is fluent in Teney, due to years of government programs to repress the language and outlaw teaching it in schools. Today it's mostly used in religious rituals. A movement called the Teney Resusciation Movement has arisen in the last few years to reintroduce the Teney language into schools and public life and has gained some support. Now a few schools on the island teach the language in optional elective classes. Elements of the Teney language live on in Duverrean Creole, a Brantish creole spoken in Duverre, known locally as "da languij" or "the language", which takes heavy influences from not only Teney vocabulary, but also grammar and vocabulary from iKwesi languages. The extent of Teney influence on the language is debated, but certain terms definitely originate in Teney including the term "jaba" for "basket" and "nannecky" meaning lively or wild, which comes from the Teney word "naniki" meaning spirited, animated or active. Religion Borealism is the main religion of Duverre. According to a 2014 study 88% of the population identifies as Borealites. Of this 88% about 23% are Coronites, the rest belong to various protestant groups including Sanctan Protestantism, Heraldism, Gallianism and the Brantish Church. Newer Sanctan protestant movements like evangelical protestantism and Novadeism have also become more popular on the island recently. Of the twelve percent of Duverreans who aren't Borealists, 6% practice indigenous folk religion, 1% follow Hola Animism, 1% are Derekh, mostly stemming from Derekh immigrants to the islands from southeastern Islor, Asa-Kwesi and Khafres. 1% are unaffiliated with any religion and 3% are irreligious. Health In 2015 the average life expectancy was 81.6 years, 83.5 years for women and 80.1 years for men. Education The Duverre Department of Education acts as Duverre's education agency and operates one school district, the Duverre School District. The Duverre School District operates two secondary schools, three middle schools and seven primary schools. The island's only university is the University of Duverre which has a main campus in Plassey and a small marine biology center in Scolfax. The University of Duverre is a fully-accredited public university that offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees. Culture Main article: Culture of Duverre While the islands have maintained a strong architectural tie to Annegasque and Celichean culture, Brantish influence is overwhelming. The islands even refer to elementary and high schools as primary and secondary schools. The islands' culture, similar to that of many others in the Starboard Islands is a cultural mesh, exemplified by the Duverrean Creole language and Creole culture. The islands have a number of festivals often found in Annegasque Sanctus including many festivals rooted in Coronism, even though Coronism is only practiced by about a quarter of the population. Throughout the island's history indigenous culture was repeatadly repressed leading to a number of important rituals and traditions dieing off by the time the FCNS arrived. Government repression and compulsory "native schools" designed to assimilate children into Brantish, and later Sanctan culture led to the extinction of many Teney cultural practices and much of the language. Replacing the Teney culture was a new amalgamated culture created by the enslaved populace, comprised largely of Teney peoples, other indigenous peoples of surrounding areas, indentured Brantish servants and exploited laborers from South Sanctus. This new Duverrean culture combined dances and traditions from Teney rituals with storytelling and folklore traditions from the Branting Isles and Asa-Kwesi. This process of cultural repression and rebirth was common among the enslaved peoples of the Starboard Islands. Duverrean and Starboard Islands culture experienced a few waves of artistic expression, named the Starboard Renaissances. The first wave lasted from the 1890s to the 1910s and was spurred on by indigenous rights movements in the Federated Continent and South Sanctus. Duverre-born Ralphus Cockrane was one of the most prolific authors of the First Starboard Renaissance and his novel The Graves of Stars is often considered a concentration of the ideas and attitudes of the First Starboard Renaissance. The Second Starboard Renaissance gained steam in Duverre as a response to government military intervention on the island and as a more national protest movement against the Federated Continent's wars overseas. The Third Starboard Renaissance was also important to art in Duverre, starting in the early 1990s. Music Main article: Music of Duverre Media Duverre has a number of AF and FM radio stations. Duverre also has a few local television stations. Radio masts can be found on the slopes of Mt. Agraso. The main television stations are WDVR and WPSY-TV. Duverre is served by four newspapers, the Duverre Times, the island's only daily newspaper printed in Plassey, the Plassey Observer, a free weekly printed in Plassey, the Weekly What's Happenin', an alternative free weekly focusing on arts and entertainment on the islands printed in Plassey and the Islands Beacon, a weekly religious newspaper. The Duverre Chamber of Commerce also publishes a seasonal tourist guide five times a year, (seasonally, with a special issue for Waddafest). Public holidays * January 1: New Year's Day * February 1: Grand Mass Eve * February 2: Grand Mass * March 31: Johnson Tricolore Day * April 9: Presidents' Day * April 30: Clive Carson Day * May 2: Abolition Day * June 1-2: Waddafest * June 19: Civic Day * August 8: FCNS Independence Day * August 31: Labor Day * September 19: Memorial Day * December 3: Veterans Day * December 31: Day of Good Hope